The 13th Busan International Comedy Festival, recognized as one of Asia's largest comedy showcases, is preparing to take over South Korea's coastal city of Busan for ten days, running from August 29 through September 7. The festival will feature performances across multiple venues throughout the city, bringing together approximately 100 performers from various backgrounds including Korea's top comedians, international acts, and emerging digital content creators.

The festival will officially begin with an opening ceremony at Bexco, one of Busan's premier event venues. The comedy troupe from "Gag Concert," Korea's iconic and long-running sketch comedy show, has been selected to kick off the event with a live performance. Popular comedian Park Myung-soo, widely known for his appearances on hit variety programs such as "Infinite Challenge" and "Happy Together," is scheduled to serve as the master of ceremonies for the opening ceremony.

Throughout the festival's ten-day run, audiences can anticipate a diverse and dynamic lineup of comedy performances. Among the highlighted events is a comedy showcase featuring comedian Eom Ji-yoon alongside the creative minds behind the popular YouTube channel Shortbox, which will take place at Ocean Hall inside Busan Bank on August 30. On that same evening, comedy fans can attend "Mandam Assemble," a special comedy performance featuring fan-favorite comedians Kwak Beom and Lee Chang-ho, which will be held at Busan Citizens Hall.

As stand-up comedy continues to gain significant momentum across various social media platforms, the Busan International Comedy Festival is embracing this genre in a more prominent way than in previous years. Comedian Byun Ki-soo, speaking at a press conference held on Friday in Seoul's Sangam-dong district, expressed his personal excitement about this development. "Personally, what I'm looking forward to this year is the emergence of stand-up comedy as a new genre at BICF," said Byun, who is also scheduled to perform his own show during the festival.

Byun further elaborated on his vision for the future of Korean stand-up comedy, stating, "And I believe that if stand-up comedy continues to develop and BICF receives more support in the future, it would be great to send the Korean stand-up comedians abroad as scholarship students, so they can actually live and experience life there. I think that kind of real-world exposure would be really valuable."

The festival is strategically positioning itself to bridge the gap between online and offline comedy experiences, particularly as more comedians are successfully building substantial fanbases through short-form content on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram Reels. This digital-to-live transition represents a significant shift in how comedy content is consumed and how performers connect with their audiences.

Festival Organizing Committee Chairman and comedian Kim Joon-ho provided insight into how online fanbases are now driving demand for live, in-person performances. During the press conference, Kim highlighted a specific example of this phenomenon: "Kwak Beom and Chang-ho, those guys used to perform pretty much as unknowns. But after gaining popularity through YouTube as a platform and building a bit of a fandom for their team, they started doing live shows again last year and the year before."

Kim continued to explain the remarkable success of this online-to-offline transition: "They took it back offline and did performances – and they were incredibly popular, with tickets selling out in about five minutes. So just like musicians, it's clear that comedians can now operate both online and offline. Comedians nowadays have started to build solid fanbases, too."

This observation reflects a broader trend in the entertainment industry, where digital platforms are serving as launching pads for live performances, creating new opportunities for comedians to monetize their content and connect with audiences in person.

Tickets for the 13th Busan International Comedy Festival are currently available for purchase through the Nol Interpark website, providing easy access for comedy enthusiasts looking to attend the various performances. Those interested in obtaining complete information about the performance schedule and detailed venue information can visit the festival's official homepage, which contains comprehensive details about all scheduled events, performer lineups, and ticketing information for the ten-day comedy celebration.